ETC Hashrate Surges Following Ethereum Merge

Following Ethereum's transition to proof-of-stake in September 2022, Ethereum Classic has seen a dramatic increase in network hashrate as miners seek new proof-of-work opportunities.

## The Migration

When Ethereum completed "The Merge" on September 15, 2022, it ended proof-of-work mining on that network. Many miners who had invested in GPU hardware looked to alternative chains, with Ethereum Classic being a natural choice due to its use of the ETChash algorithm.

## Hashrate Growth

ETC network hashrate increased significantly:
- Pre-Merge: ~25 TH/s
- Post-Merge: Peaked at over 200 TH/s
- Current: Stabilized at higher levels than pre-Merge

## Security Implications

Higher hashrate means:
- **Greater Attack Resistance**: More computational power needed to attempt attacks
- **Network Stability**: Consistent block times and reliable transaction processing
- **Miner Confidence**: Demonstrates economic viability of ETC mining

## What This Means for ETC

Ethereum Classic has emerged as one of the largest proof-of-work smart contract platforms by hashrate. This positions ETC as a viable option for users and developers who value proof-of-work security.

The increased mining activity also brings more attention to the ETC ecosystem, potentially attracting new developers and projects.